Tigers face defeat on all fronts

The LTTE despite all its bravado that the Government is merely day dreaming of capturing its de facto capital Kilinochchi, is heading for defeat on all fronts: but it is far from finished, and is in vain sacrificing its cadres in continuing to fight mostly one sided battles.

While the Tiger supremo Velupillai Prabhakaran throws all his reserves of hardcore units into battle now to halt the Security Forces march, he is at the same time counting on Tamil Nadu pressure to force an Indian intervention of some sort here once again, to save it from the ignominy of total defeat.

If it is more battles he is looking for with his bravado, then he has more than his match in Army Commander Lt. Gen Sarath Fonseka. Amidst some heavy fighting this week he is now raising a fifth fighting Task Force to put into battle in the coming weeks. It will also be the army’s ninth attacking force entering battle against the enemy.

It was only in the previous week that the Army Headquarters finalised arrangements to raise its Fourth fighting Task Force. Once the newly formed Task Force IV headed by Col. Nishantha Wanniarachchi is deployed in Mulaitivu in the coming days, to supplement 59 Division already battling LTTE there, the latest fighting Task Force V, now being formed too will enter battle.

The Army Commander has designated Col. Athula Galagamage as the Commander of the Task Force V. Commander of the 11th Gemunu Regiment Lt. Col. Priyanka Fernando and Commander of Seventh Light Infantry Regiment Lt. Col. Ranjith Abeyratne have been picked as its Brigade Commanders. Col. Galagamage till now was serving with the 56 Division deployed at Omanthai.

There were also some key changes in some frontline commands this week. Special Forces Lt. Col. Harendra Ranasinghe who has been serving as the Staff Colonel of the Task Force 1 from its inception, took over as the 57-1 Brigade Commander, and Col G.V. Ravipriya who has commanded 57-1 from its inception, took over as Mannar area Commander. Mannar area Commander Brig. Channa Gunatillake assumes the Command of 56 Division from Maj. Gen. Jagath Rambukpotha, who is proceeding to India to attend the National Defence College there.

Heavy fighting broke out on Wednesday as the Army advanced towards Killinochchi from several directions and the exchanges that began at 10:00am continued non stop for another 24 hours. The heaviest fighting took place at Pudumuruppukulam, west of Killinochchi town and south of Adampan. Later the fighting spread right along the defensive line put up by the LTTE to defend Kilinochchi.

The Air Force too engaged Tiger positions non stop in support of the ground troops.
Using the familiarity of the ground to their advantage, the Tigers virtually cornered the Seventh Light Infantry Regiment with a heavy rain of mortar and artillery fire. The regiment lost the lives of 22 of its men as a result, including 12 men who fell into Tiger hands. Another 30 soldiers were injured.

Intercepted LTTE communications have indicated their losses at 27 killed and 31 wounded. But the pro-Tiger website Tamilnet placed the army death toll in two days of fighting (Wednesday and Thursday) at 120 killed and 280 wounded, while keeping totally silent about their own casualties. Tigers had also put on display bodies of 12 soldiers who fell into their hands in the areas they control, in order to boost the morale of their cadres.

Whatever the Tiger claims, the Eighth Infantry Regiment, the 10th Infantry Regiment and 16th Sinha Regiment coming under 57-4 Brigade led by Lt. Col. Senaka Wijesuriya smashed a three kilometer stretch of the Tiger trench-cum-bund defence line from Akkarayan to Therumurukandi this week and advanced another four kilometers.
Final battle
Meanwhile troops of the 57 Division who are moving towards fighting the final battle to take Kilinochchi and Iranamadu, did so this week amidst heavy rains once again, facing immense difficulties because of the fickle weather.

Tigers also lost a large number of cadres in trying to take on troops preparing to break through their defence line from Adampan Town. Lt. Col. Jayampathy Bandara led 12th Sinha Regiment troops killed 30 Tiger cadres in this battle. Maj. Sujeewa Perera is the second in Command of this regiment.

Tigers launched the first attack in this area at 3:00 a.m. last Sunday taking on 16th Infantry and 17th Infantry, while these two regiments were battling the attackers; the 12th Sinha came forward and engaged the attackers. Waves of Tiger attacks were beaten back in this manner till 8:00 p.m. that night.

These attacks were directed by its Special Leader of the Imran Pandiyan Force identified as Welawan Master and a Leader of Charles Anthony Force identified as Gopi. For these attacks Tigers had brought in cadres from Nagarkovil and Elephant Pass. Fortunately for troops only three were killed in these clashes.

Due to strategic counter measures adopted by the 57 Division, Tiger leaders who led the attacks had pleaded with their commanders that they could not make any headway. While these waves of attacks were taking place, air strikes and multi-barrel rocket fire also neutralized Tigers massing on several locations to launch fresh waves of attacks.

The attackers had been further handicapped by their inability to evacuate injured expeditiously due to shortage of transport.
Advance
Similarly Brig. Shavendra Silva led 58 Division (Task Force 1) advanced along the Pooneryn-Paranthan road traversing the flooded road and the surrounding open terrain also under water. The Fifth Armoured Corp and the infantry regiments operating under this Division kept hammering at the six kilometer long Tiger trench-cum-bund defence line facing them.

The 55 and 53 Divisions, which captured the Tiger first defence line at Jaffna few weeks back, this week, resumed probing operations to breakthrough the second LTTE defence line at Muhamalai and Nagarkovil.

Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, Chief of Defence Staff Air Chief Marshal Donald Perera and Army Commander Lt. Gen Sarath Fonseka, who visited Wanni Command Headquarters on Thursday and conferred with all senior commanders of units serving in Wanni, also assessed the ground situation with Wanni Commander Maj. Gen Jagath Jayasuriya and other top brass.
Praise
The Defence Secretary while praising the victories notched up by the forces, also conveyed President Rajapaksa’s good wishes to them. Later the trio also visited Jaffna and met with Jaffna Commander Maj. Gen G.A. Chandrasiri and rest of the top brass in the peninsula, where again the ground situation was evaluated.

The Task Force 111 commanded by Brig Sathyapriya Liyanage also continued their drive amidst heavy rain. Lt. Col. Priyantha Perera led 63-1 Brigade now has advanced some four kilometers beyond Olumadu on A-34 route and were in the process of capturing Kuruppamaddimuruppu Junction.

About three kilometers north of this junction, Lt. Col. Subashana Welikala led 63-2 Brigade completed the capture of the Old Kandy Road. The 20th Sinha Regiment belonging to this Brigade engaged the Tiger defence line north of Olumadu and successfully overcame a number of LTTE targets there on December 5. Later it repelled several waves of counter attacks by Tigers to dislodge them, and in the process killed more than 26 attackers. They even managed to recover bodies of 11 Tiger cadres and 13 assault rifles and a radio communication set.

As the Commanding Officer of this regiment Lt. Col. Dharshana Wijesekera was on leave, the entire responsibility of leading its troops in these clashes fell on the shoulders of his deputy Maj. Priyantha Liyanage. He was assisted by Maj. Aruna Wijesinghe in carrying out operations. But unfortunately for Maj. Liyanage, later while moving among his troops, he stepped on an anti-personnel mine and lost a leg.
Defence line
The LTTE is said to be building a new defence line to prevent 63-2 Brigade, which is now heading towards Ampakamam, from capturing their main runway at Iranamadu. This runway is situated some six kilometres from troops of this Brigade. As the troops were advancing in the direction of the runway, Forces have established that a Tiger light aircraft had taken off on Thursday at about 7:15 p.m. and flown towards Kilinochchi, prompting the Forces to be put on alert.

Meanwhile one of Tiger diversionary teams who are involved in hit and run operations in the East, were confronted by an Army Commando team at Kanjikudiaru. The Tiger terror team headed by Nagulan, was successfully engaged by the commandos killing four of them, and causing injuries to the leader and three others. What is most shocking is the fact Nagulan’s team comprising some 25 cadres was caught up by the commandos only some 500 metres from a Police Special Task Force base.

According to available intelligence, about 50 Tigers under the command of Tiger leaders Nagulan, Umaram, Raguwan and Kalaimaduran had been deployed to cause havoc in Yala and eastern regions.

In addition to staging terror attacks, they have been tasked with reactivating Tiger cadres, who turned civilian with the fall of Toppigala after burying their weapons.

About this Blog

This blog concerns the Sri Lankans fight against LTTE terrorism.LTTE is a ruthless terror outfit which fights for an ethnically pure, separate Tamil homeland for Tamils living in Sri Lanka since 1983. The outfit is well known for its extreme tribalism and nefarious crimes against soft targets specially the women and children. During its two and half decade long terrorist war against Sri Lankan people, LTTE has killed over 70,000 people mostly civilians in its ethnic cleansing raids, indiscriminate bomb attacks, suicide blasts, etc. LTTE is also in top of the UN's list of shame for using child soldiers in war. As a tactical measure the outfit uses only young female cadres and male child soldiers for the front lines.

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Calander

The Eelam bubble

The Tamil diaspora still talk of winning the "Eelam" war, of seeing "the light at the end of the tunnel of a mythical Tamil state" , even as six elite army divisions strategically lay siege to the Wanni heartland. As it is there is a light, that of a fast-approaching express train that would steam roll the "Eealm" myth to the sun baked Wanni floor forever.

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Their sacrifice will not be in vain….

"I am a Sri Lankan and I am free today because someone fought, bled or died in my place. I vow that as long as there is breath in my body that that their sacrifice will not be in vain."

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Smell Of Victory

Smell that? Napalm, son. Nothing in the world smells like that.I love the smell of napalm in the morning.One time we had a hill bombed, for 12 hours. When it was all over, I walked up. We didn't find one of 'em, not one enemy body. The smell, you know that gasoline smell, the whole hill. Smelled like... victory. Someday this war's gonna end.
Apocalypse Now(1979)

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Give to those who have given

They died for something that may be trivial to many. A piece of high ground on a salty sand dune, or a landing area in a landmine filled beach, or simply protecting a cadjan bunker in some remote corner of the island.
But when dusk settles on this protracted war, every sacrifice these thousands made will have a reason and purpose.
We should pay tribute to all our fallen heroes who gave their today for our tomorrow.

We are pleased to announce that our new website,www.slguardian.org, is live and ready for the world to view. We have completely redesigned our layout with simplicity, ease of use, and accessibility in mind. It will be a tool for both fulfilling our mission and helping us provide better resources to our readers.This new website will keep pace with our rapidly […]

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| by Tisaranee Gunasekara“Is it always the same SpringWho reprises her role forever?”Neruda (The Book of Questions)( January 22, 2015, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) Why were the police slower than slow in acting against marauding Parliamentarian Palitha Thevarapperuma? Wasn’t this tardiness due to the fact that the alleged miscreant is on the governing side? […]

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| by Noam Chomsky( January 21, 2015, Boston, Sri Lanka Guardian) After the terrorist attack on Charlie Hebdo, which killed 12 people including the editor and four other cartoonists, and the murder of four Jews at a kosher supermarket shortly after, French Prime Minister Manuel Valls declared "a war against terrorism, against jihadism, against radical Is […]

Swift, Silent & Deadly

Fear The LRRP

The LRRP has been very successful in covert operations against the LTTE terrorists in the northern and eastern provinces of Sri Lanka. Its members were so successful in assassinating key LTTE figures that many LTTE leaders refused to come out of their jungle bunkers before the 2002 ceasefire was implemented. After the resumption of hostilities, it is believed that the LRRP units conducted operations in the LTTE held northern province too.
The LTTE has accused the Sri Lankan Deep Penetration Units of launching attacks on LTTE leaders in their areas, although the Sri Lankan Government denies any involvement in these attacks. The teams have had success against LTTE leaders such as military intelligence leader Colonel Charls and many leaders. Other success have included observing LTTE training camps and calling in air strikes. The LRRP's successes and dedicated operators have garnered a fearful reputation among the LTTE.
The SL Army commander Gen.Sarath Fonseka had recently acknowledged that LRRP units were used to beat the LTTE at their own game.It was later revealed that LTTE, who were masters at jungle warfare refused to engage in combat and withdrew from their positions instead of holding their ground because of these elite soldiers. SL LRRP unit falls under SF3 (Special Forces 3rd Regiment)they and SF1,SF2,SF4 & Commandos played a vital role in eliminating the LTTE including V.Piribaharan a.k.a Sun God a.k.a Supreme Commander of the LTTE. LTTE according to FBI is was the most dangerous terrorist group in the world.

Things you didn’t do

Remember the day I borrowed your brand new car and I dented it?

I thought you'd kill me but you didn't.

And remember the time I dragged you to the beach and you said it would rain and it did?

I thought you'd say, "I told you so", but you didn't.

Do you remember the time I flirted with all the guys to make you jealous and you were.

I thought you'd leave me, but you didn't.

Do you remember the time I spilled strawberry pie all over your car rug.

I thought you'd hit me but you didn't.

And remember the time I forgot to tell you the dance was formal and you showed up in jeans?

I thought you'd drop me. But you didn't.

Yes, there were lots of things you didn't do.

But you put up with me and you loved me and you protected me.

There were lots of thing I wanted to make up to you when you returned from War.

But you didn't.

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Fidel Castro is no more. He died today at the age of 90. Whether he is hero or villain, he certainly is historic. This cannot be disputed. The following article was published in the Sunday Island o December 12, 2000. It was one of the earliest articles I wrote for that newspaper. That Latin America bleeds is not news. In fact, blood-letting seems to be […]

What does a cartoonist have in common with a soccer player? Deftness, certainly. An eye for line and space. Innovation. Not all soccer players can draw and not all artists can dribble a football. Kurukulasuriya Eligious Camillus Perera could do both. He’s long since hung up his boots, but his brushes are still fresh, as is his wit, political acumen an […]

noreply@blogger.com (Malinda Seneviratne)

Silent Heros – The LRRPs’

"Stealth, bravery and a commitment to duty, these were the attributes of the men of the Sri Lankas' Long Range Reconnaissance Patrols (LRRPs). Going deep inside LTTE held enemy lines, danger was their watchwood & Military Skills was their only protection."

Victory Day : Lest We Forget

It was on the night of the 19th of May and dawn of 20th 2009 that Sri Lankan rid itself completely of the plague known as Tamil terrorism and became a country where there is freedom of movement for all.

Let us remember those that gave their lives to make this a reality and remember all the misguided LTTE youth who died in vain with compassion.

I had left for Jordan the day after my father’s 93rd birthday, on June 27th. He had had a party as usual, and all the reception rooms downstairs, the dining room and the rectangular verandah in front, and the large drawing room with its extensions, the round verandah giving on to the garden and the […]

The third country I visited in June 2014, in that period of quietude when nothing was moving in Sri Lanka except for an increasing sense of decline, was Jordan. I did not count it as a new country, for I had stayed overnight there in a hotel, when I was traveling to Turkey early in […]

Oddly enough, as my father was fading, the world of my other great rock in these last years, Ena, also shrank. In 2012 we had celebrated her 90th birthday in Yala, quite a large crowd though initially she had told me that she wanted only me and Shanthi Wilson. Of course she could not have […]

In retrospect it is clear that there was no hope of stopping Mahinda Rajapaksa rushing headlong into disaster, given that so many of those around him, while pursuing their own agendas, had lulled him into a false sense of security. But it still seemed necessary to try, and I did have at least one significant […]

In the month after my extended 60th birthday celebrations, I travelled extensively. This was not however to any new countries, so I remained stuck on 89 for a few months more. But I was able to get to fascinating places in countries I had been to previously. In India this was to the North East, […]

After those idyllic few days with my father at my cottage, I went to Algeria, determined to see more of the Roman remains of Africa, and if possible get to the deep desert. Years earlier I had bought guidebooks for Tunisia and Libya, which had better sites, and I had managed to get to Tunisia […]

From the start it was clear that 2014 would be a bleak year. My father was much weaker than before, and had been diagnosed with prostate cancer. We knew that this was a slow process and the doctors said there was no need for any interventions since old age was likely to do for him […]

After Ethiopia, I felt I should see the Sudan, not only in search of other aspects of the Nile, but also because I realized that it was the repository of many splendours from the Egyptian Empires. The pyramidic culture had extended far to the South, and then so had Hellenistic civilization, following the conquest of […]

Much of this series has been about my personal travels, and the slow but steady dissolution of the world I had known. To dwell only on these would however give a misleading impression of what occupied me most during the years from 2012, when I began to realize that my efforts to promote reform were […]

With Lakmahal slowly folding up as it were, and the country in decline, my principal solace in 2014 was travel. Asia and Europe I knew well, and I had been to enough of South America to feel I had seen enough of it for the moment. The Middle East too I had seen a fair […]

rajivawijesinha

Nineteen ’til I Die

"Last night it rained. And I stood under my parents’ porch and smoked. The deluge of water on the tin sheeting drowned out everything — traffic, the neighbours, the sound of the TV. Just me and the rain and the dark, like it had been on that first night in December 1990. I stepped out from the porch, and the rain put out my cigarette in an instant. I spat away the shreds of tobacco and let the rain soak me. Remembering them, as I have done a hundred thousand times in the last eighteen years.

I can remember the ridged steel flooring of the Y-8′s cargo bay like it was yesterday, digging into my arse as I sit packed in with my platoon, flying to Palay.

I remember the smell of wet sandbags on that first night on the FDL at Elephant Pass. Looking out into the black ink beyond the perimeter. Here be Tigers.

And the ten-man patrols through knee-deep water, trying to be quiet. “Kata vahapang, huththo,“

The hot, dusty days and wet, rainy nights. Mosquitoes. And being tired. So tired. Every day. All the time.

And contact. Finally. What we’d lived for, longed for, suffered for. What we’d watched in movies and read about in books. Contact. Sex for virgins. With red tracers. And the elephant sitting on my back, squeezing the breath out of my lungs as I tried to hold my rifle steady. The hammer roar of 7.62-mm fire, gunflashes blurring the distant, running figures.

None of us were over twenty, most eighteen or nineteen. Ariyaratne, the section commander, and Dias, the machine-gunner; our parents, old men of twenty-four. Combat veterans of the Sinha Rifles. The hard core.

And the killing. I remember every single one. The blood, the eyes. The smell. I remember Rohantha getting hit by the .50. I remember the sixteen-year-old bayoneted girl with the long plaited hair come loose. I remember kneeling at a tube well and washing the crusted blood out from under my finger nails.

Down time. Sitting in abandoned tin buildings in the Saltern Siding. We’d strip down to OG shorts and slippers and our Death By Bullets T-shirts. We never talked about victory, about killing Prabha, or defeating the Tigers. Our personal goals were to survive, to do well, to not let each other or our regiment down. Sura talking about the XT-250 he wanted to buy. Husni and Sanjeeva talking about girls. Dias and I cleaning guns and talking about optics.

I thought I knew them all very well, but now I realize I didn’t really. And now, sadly, I can’t recall their faces in detail. And sometimes I have to think hard to remember all nine names.

Well, it looks like it’s over now. And I wish those guys were here to see it. I wish we could all go out for a drink and talk about EPS and catch up on our lives. But it’s too late for all that. It all took too long. I wish they were all in their thirties, like me. Maybe they’d have wives, and children, or not. I wish they could walk down the road and be offered kiri bath by the trishaw drivers. I wish they were alive."